How To Cut Acrylic

The edge of the table needs to align with the cut. The sheet needs to be clamped very securely so that it cannot flex or move. You will then apply pressure to the sheet that’s The most common, fast and easy way to cut the thin sheet (less than ~1/4″) of acrylic is by scoring/scribing and breaking.

The material can be scratched relatively easily so do not remove the film or paper masking from the acrylic until you absolutely have to.

In this cutting method you will use a scoring tool to cut a deep scratch in it. The cutting edge of the scoring tool looks something like a single tooth of a table saw blade (but much thinner, see below pic). You apply pressure to the tool and drag it along a straight edge guide (which should be clamped securely in place to prevent it from moving). You need to continue scoring the acrylic until the cut is ~1/8 of the way through the material (it may take 20 passes on 1/4″ thick sheet). After that’s done, you’ll have to clamp it down on the edge of a table (or something similar). beyond the edge of the table until it breaks. If it was cut deeply enough, it will break cleanly along the desired line. If it was not cut deeply enough, the cut (on the side opposite the scoring) can be as far outside of the desired cut line as the thickness of the material.

Note:

When scoring the material, it’s likely that you will not score as deeply on the end where you begin the scoring. Go back and score from the other direction to ensure that the edge breaks cleanly.

When possible, score from both sides. This takes a bit more effort but will result in a cleaner break.